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#ReliefPH: Donate to provide water for quake-hit Surigao

MANILA, Philippines – Families in Surigao del Norte who were affected by the strong earthquake on Friday, February 10, badly need water.

“The water system of Surigao City and neighboring municipalities San Francisco, Malimono, Mainit and Sison has been severely damaged, and because of this, people are having a very difficult time accessing water for their daily needs. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is formally asking for donations to buy water for Surigao residents," Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo announced on Monday, February 13.

The DSWD is now accepting cash donations which will be used to buy water sourced in Butuan, Taguiwalo said. Cash donations can be deposited to:

Donors should notify DSWD-Finance Management Service (FMS)/ Cash Division (CD) of their donation through phone or email. They should send the validated deposit slip together with basic information (name, nationality and address) to finance@dswd.gov.ph and cash@dswd.gov.ph or fax to 931-8127.

“We need to continue the provision of relief assistance to the citizens of Surigao, and this includes water. There is no way that people can function well and survive without a steady supply of water for drinking and for other household needs. Filipinos who want to help our kababayans in Surigao can donate cash to the DSWD and we will immediately purchase more drinking water which we will distribute to communities,” Taguiwalo said.

The DSWD Field Office has earlier bought and delivered to Surigao City 3,500 pieces of 6.6-liter bottled water and 500 pieces of 4-liter bottled water, estimated at P1,554,471. There are also 3,900 family food packs ready for distribution to affected families in Surigao City amounting to P 1,324,611.

“There is a likelihood that the water system repairs will not be completed soon so we must prepare contingency plans to ensure that people in Surigao still have water to drink,” Taguiwalo said.

Taguiwalo flew Sunday morning to Surigao City with President Rodrigo Duterte. She also coordinated with DSWD Field Office Caraga and officials of other government agencies tasked to address calamities.

The social welfare secretary reported that a total of 60 barangays have been affected, and 1,685 families with 8,425 persons need assistance. A total of 130 houses have been totally damaged, while 1555 are partially damaged, she added.

As of posting, local government offocials of affected municipalities were meeting with DSWD Region 13 executives in Surigao City to discuss relief operations in greater detail.

Taguiwalo appealed to local officials to help the DSWD in delivering assistance to earthquake-affected residents as quickly and efficiently as possible.

"We should not let anything hinder the delivery of aid to those who need it. Let us work together to ensure that no one who is need of assistance is turned away or denied help,” she said.

In Surigao City, the field office has a total of 900 family food packs that were prepositioned. There were also 900 family food packs that were prepositioned in Libjo, Dinagat Islands; 300 in Loreto, Dinagat Isalnds; 1,058 in Dapa, Siargao; 500 in Tandag City; and 2,700 in Pantin-ay, Agusan Del Sur.

There are also 17,437 family food packs readily available at the field office in Caraga warehouse in Tiniwisan, Butuan City. – Rappler.com

Agos eBayanihan is helping response agencies in crowdsourcing reports. If you want to donate, you can reach the team by using the hashtag #ReliefPH on Twitter. Smart and Talk N' Text subscribers can send their messages to 2929 for free.

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Welcome to Rappler, a social news network where stories inspire community engagement and digitally fuelled actions for social change. Rappler comes from the root words "rap" (to discuss) + "ripple" (to make waves).